35

Today was set to be ’15 miles with 12 @ MP’. I decided to do 2 miles warm-up, the 12, and then a cool-down mile. I went out nice and slow at first, and the weather actually seemed bearable for the first mile. Then it got hot. and humid. it even rained for 30 seconds or so on mile 6. I carried water, gatorade and two gels, but the run was still tough. I blame part of it on my crappy eating yesterday. I had a snack after work, with plans of making pasta later. That didn’t happen, so I was munching on crackers at 11:30 last night. I woke up this morning with a severly shrivelled tongue. Good job!

As I said, the goal was 12 miles at marathon pace: 8:00mm. So after my warmup, I kept track of my half-mile splits:

4:05
4:02
3:59
4:03
4:08
3:57 (I was already hot by this point, so I stopped and sat down in the grass and watched sweat well up on my arms.)
3:51
4:07
3:35 (started to rain during this leg. I stopped and caught my breath mid-split. For a LONG time. Seriously felt like crying)
3:33 (I must have stopped and walked a bit here)
4:02
4:00 (turn-around point. stopped and drank the last of my water and took a gel.)
4:01
4:11
3:54 (stopped again and caught my breath. Finished the last mouthful of gatorade)
4:09
3:45 (short)
Stopped at the water fountain. Drank a good 20oz of water and filled up my bottles. Tried to rince the salt out of my eyes.
5:12 (long)
3:29 (stopped partway through and actually laid down. decided to do the ‘sports bra’ thing as I was completely soaked, and now my shirt was dirty from the ground. Rang water out of my shorts.)
3:53 (Geez, if I stop on every mile, I do well. Think they’ll let me do that in a race????)
3:57 (I feel like crap, but hey, the legs still work)
2:40 (short as I stopped at the platform at Antrim)

I stopped at my car to drop off my water/shirt and did one cooldown lap around the lake. Time for 15 miles: 2:09

Obviously the time is off, as this two hour run probably took me closer to three, with my breaks. But it was good to push my legs to keep going at (roughly) that pace even when I was tired. Once again, I was thinking how great it will feel to run in the fall! I also felt pretty good about finishing strong: those last few miles I was still able to maintain pace reasonably well.

Hmm, in playing with the numbers, and discounting that weird long/short mile with the water break, the final mile, and that 3:33/3:35 anomaly, it looks like I still did manage to pull out a ~8 min mile pace. That’s encouraging, I guess, although I know my frequent breaks are significant.

I want to race to see how this is all working!! I guess H2C will be the test, although the circumstances are a bit different themselves.